Sparta, Wisconsin (CNN) - Rick Santorum used the legal fight before the Supreme Court on the national health care law to explain how Mitt Romney is "uniquely disqualified" to be the GOP nominee.

Santorum, who believes the health care mandate strips Americans of their rights and freedoms, on Wednesday, described Romney as the "godfather of Obamacare" for implementing the health care law in Massachusetts when he served as governor.– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
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"The solicitor general of the country in oral argument yesterday referred to 'Romneycare' as the basis for 'Obamacare,'" to argue the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care law, Santorum said while campaigning in Wisconsin.

"We can't rely upon one swing vote in the Supreme Court to decide what the future of our country should be," he said in reference Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Santorum also laid out his solutions for health care to employees at the MacDonald and Owen and Lumber Company in Sparta. His proposals include allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines through pre-tax dollars and strengthening patient-driven coverage options like Health Savings Accounts.

On the stump, he once again explained why he is better suited to face the president in the general election.

"This race, if it's between Rick Santorum and Barack Obama will be about freedom, will be about what kind of America you want to live in," Santorum said. "If it's a race between Obama and Romney, it will not be, it cannot be because neither of them supported freedom on the most fundamental issue of the day, your health, your life."

Team Romney responded to Santorum's comments saying he's becoming "more and more desperate as everyone else realizes he has no path to winning the nomination."

"It's important that all Republicans keep their focus on President Obama because if we want to repeal Obamacare we need to defeat him first," Romney campaign spokesperson Amanda Henneberg said in a statement. "Obamacare is bad policy and bad law and when Mitt Romney is president he will get rid of it."

soundoff(28 Responses)

The broccoli argument was actually a good argument in favor of the law. The law doesn't say that you must buy broccoli when you go to the market. You can buy spinach, carrots, or anything you want. All the law says is that you can no longer walk into the market, take all the broccoli that you need, and then leave without paying for it. No more freeloading. Taking free broccoli raises the cost for people who pay for their broccoli.

March 28, 2012 02:46 pm at 2:46 pm |

Terry

Rudy, NYC: I think you've missed my point. I would like to see the public option available, and the individual mandate scrapped. As an incentive to those who are certain the health insurance industry is better, let them do whatever they feel will give them a competetive advantage, and then see how they fare. The fact is the public option would improve health care and reduce costs, and so the health insurance industry would be dead inside of 5 years. Then this debate could finally end.....